Poultry picker with variable length fingers



Oct. 11, 1949. E. B. MEAD 2,484,236

POULTRY PICKER WITH VARIABLE LENGTH FINGERS Filed Dec. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TKOLLE) o A 41' i0 Z1 0% I. 4 I W farm Z07; g [27a Hrflfdd.

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Oct. 11, 1949. E. B. MEAD 7 2,484,236

POULTRY PIC-KER WITH VARIABLE LENGTH FINGERS Filed Dec. 14, '1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 11, 1949 POULTRY PICKER WITH VARIABLE LENGTH FINGERS Ezra B. Mead, Ottumwa, Iowa, assignor to Barker Poultry Equipment 00., Ottumwa, Iowa, 3 GQrg poration of Iowa Application December 14, 1945, Serial No. 634,963

My invention relates to poultry pickers of the type having a drum with-fingers of resilient material, such, for example, as rubber.

It is my purpose to provide such a picker having fingers of different lengths on different sections of the drums, whereby a variety of advantages in picking poultry are achieved.

Another object is to provide such a picker in which a pair of non-parallel drums are arranged adjacent each other for picking poultry between the drums.

With these and other objects in View, m inventlon consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a picker embodying my invention in which the drums are inclined with relation to each other and with relation to the horizontal.

Y Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing also a portion of the conveyor by which the birds are handled for the picking operation.

a Figure 3 is a front elevation of the picker of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form in which two parallel drums are arranged horizontally.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one end of the picker of Figure 4.

It is now common practice in the industry to pick poultry by subjecting the birds to the action of resilient, somewhat flexible, fingers, arranged on a drum. In the larger plants, thebird is passed between two drums.

I have found, when the birds are picked between two picker drums of the general type under consideration, if the fingers on different sections of each drum are made of different lengths and some of the fingers of one length on one drum are staggered with relation to fingers of similar length on the other drum, and the birds and drums have relative movement lengthwise of the drums, the birds are turned or rotated somewhat during the picking. As a result, the ma chine does a better job of picking, particularly on the wing, tail and neck feathers and on the feathers under the wings and between the legs and the body, than can be accomplished with fingers of uniform length.

I have also found that the picking is still further improved by inclining the drums with relation to each other and with relation to the horizontal.

6 Claims. (01. 11 11.1)

If the birds are hung head down and first subjected to the fingers at the lower ends of the drum, the neck feathers can be independently picked before the body reaches the picker, where the picker begins to operate on them. Also the birds as the travel between the drums, are oscillated between the fingers of different lengths so they tend to. swin slightly from one side to the other. This I have found gives better picking results. I

In the drawings,.in Figures 1, 2 and 3, I have shown a pair of drums mounted on suitable frame members and inclined from the horizontal and slightly inclined with relation to each other. I shall first describe the frame structure on which the drums are mounted.

For each drum there are two front legs to and II, preferably made of pipe. Likewise for each drum there are two rear legs [2 and i3, likewise preferably made of pipe. Below each leg is a base M ,with a socket l5, shown, for instance, in Figure 3 in which is rotatably mounted an upright post It having an annular flange ll adapted to be gripped by a wrench. The upper end of each post I6 is threaded into the lower end of one of the legs. Thus by adjustment of the post 16 a. limited degree of adjustment of the frame can be effected. Connected, as by welding, to each leg.l2 at a point above its lower end is a forwardly-extending frame member I8, preferably 'a pipe, which may be connected in tegrally or otherwise with a leg [0, as shown in Figure 2.

Each leg It] at the front of the picker is connected as by welding to a transverse frame member [9, which extends to and is rigidly connected with a leg ll integrally or otherwise. The legs I I may be rigidly connected by a transverse frame member Zfl arranged low enough so that it will not interfere with the travel of the birds.

At the rear of the picker a transverse frame member 2| is secured by welding or otherwise to each leg l2 and is integrally or otherwise rigidly secured to a leg l3. Legs l3 may be connected at the rear of the machine by transverse frame member 22.

I refer to the front of the picker as the end from which the birds approach.

At the front of the picker the frame member 24 is integrally or rigidly connected with each leg ID and inclined upwardly and forwardly as shown in Figure 2, and has at its upper part a section or portion 25 extending inwardly as shown in Figure 3. Each section 25 is rigidly connected with a member 19 by means of a frame member 26.

The upper parts of the legs 12 have portions.

' frame member portiohs 2'9,and-2l areconnected by frame members 32. On the frame members 26 and 32 are brackets 21 and 33 for supporting; the bearings for the stub shafts-31 at the ends of o the picker drums.

The pipes may be connected with a the birds as they pass the picker. a

Each picker drum 36 comprises a hollow cylinder or the like on which the pigking fingers mounted. Each drum 36 has stub shafts 31 at its ends supported by suitable bearings, notshown in detail, on respective brackets 21 and 33. The drumslmay be rotated trom motors 34, one only of which is-shown in Figure2, suitably mountedj The birdsarecarried tothe picker by-means of" an endless conveyorxindicatedgenerally at C from which hang chains 40 onwhich are shackles M of conventional construction.

' ,;Piclcer.,-fingcrs V Picker fingers rnay beofrubber or other suitable material having the desired resiliencejgrnd flexibility; On each drum I-preferably use f ngers varying'in length. For example, referring tothev lower drum shown in Figure ,-I haveshowncer tain sections 5|, 52 and 53, having fingers of certain length and; other sections 5 1;, 5'5 and 55 pro-' vided with longer fingers; Similarly on the drum at the upper ,part of Figure 1 I have shown certain sectionsi'h 58 and 59 providedwith fingers f e tai n h w i as h re .i u rat dh rs similar to the fingers ofsections of Si, tz and 53. Also on the upper drum the sections fifl, Bi nd 5E vare.p o'v'in s w th lesser fi e r ;q sppn qth se a h wn $5 .55 an 7 At th wsrr i nd Dithe. drum t. wi l be noted that short fingers are first used, At j:he up er r ar nd of ,ea hidmml PIQY B .0 1s ENS.- Trh s a he iron]: 'e bi hedrunia sh t sect o is. equ p d w th, sh r fin rs, a at the rear end of the drum, a short section is ui pedi h lo g fing s.- .pm rw se he sh fin r Qn on s mmg re ta sere n ih heilo fingers on the other ;drum.

V .mlopemtz'on V The birds carried 'by shackles on thczgq lvfiyor ar adr n d a i str te ba he a ow in Figure 2 to the lower front ,end of. .thepicke;r, -,andj the necks h dersare fi hpiekee b he sh fin e s ftse t n -5: -and 1- na toma m c i s ci ifig tris n emQY t -i r lons ei eth r iirsmz h g wa n tail, r mov hefeat rsaun sr t e dib w ni h l e ran b dy 451 i rsmn e ie s leathe ss 1 t e strust ghe eehewn v'vater supply and provided with holes onnozzlasito spray:

4 the necks of the birds are first picked by the short fingers in the ends of the drums that are closest together. When the birds begin to reach the long fingers of one drum, which are opposite short fingers of another drum, and throughout their further progress until they nearly reach the rear end of the picker l find that, the arrangement of variable'length fingers tends tosgive the birds a slight alternating rotary motion and this o i achieves a cleaner picking. I also find that the 'rdsare slightly rocked sidewise and swing a ttle ,ont of vertical position back and forth, and this also gives a better result particularly in remmering thos'elfeathers hardest to pick.

re Im-Eigures s and 5 I have shown a slightly modified iorm "ofdrum. A pair of drums I0, ll isarranged with the drums in parallel horizontal position.' It is contemplated that these drums will beraised and lowered as illustrated, for instance, in the Barker Patent No. 2,328,770, dated Se e b 7;: 9 3a-a ec -idr m oi. the modifi o m has:- i er ni ;se9t ns qui ped rim-fi s of varying length as illustrated in Figure -4 where sections 22, 113, Hand 5havelonger fingers while secti '1 Hand is have, shorter; fi

The long fingers of one; drum are-arranged lopposite the short fingers of, the other; drum. It will belllnderstood that.;the drums oil-the modified fingers of Figs. 4 and 5,"Wi1l be raised ,and, lowered and at the same. time, the,- birdstare being advanced by a conveyor in the picking operation. Thev samealternating rotarymotion and sidewise swinging motion. mentioned .-above are; achieved;

It is. obvious that changesmay. bemade'in thedetails of the structure of my. improvedipicker whereby fingers may bemade of different lengths, shapes and sizes, .but by.using fingers of varying lengths, particularly by staggering. fingers ofthe same-length on the respective drums, the -desirable results herein describedhare accomplished.

I claim as my invention:

1-. Ina poultry picken apairof picker means-for supportingthe drums adjacenteach other sothat birds'may be passed-between 'the drums i for picking; said-- drums being inclined with relation to each other and having resilient picking fingers-, the fingers oncertain sections of each drum being-shorter than-the fingers on other sections, certain of the long fingers on one drum. beingopposite to certain short fingers on the other drum, said supporting means having relative vertical adjustment "for the respective drums.

2-. Ina poultrypicker, a pair OffI'OtflitEblfijUX" taposed drums; each having radially arranged resilient fingers, the fingers on each drum being grouped in sections-axially of the drum, thesections in each drum being made up alternately of long and short fingers.

3. In a' poultry picker, a pair ofrot'atabi juxtaposed drums, ;each having radially arranged r i nt- ,fi h fin e o ie chdrmnhe r u d exsect onsax a f t e dr m. ,the ns m'eaQ dr mh na m d u a te natel of n and sh rt. fingers, ce t i ois 'id n rs e' chvlelnsth n ach. r m b ss ed-azi ofgthe drum with respect to the fingers oi the samelength ontheother drum.

A, In, a- 'poultry, picker, a ,pair of rotatable juxtaposed drums, each having radially arranged resilient fingers, saiddrums being inclined from or ta r n -aw re at n o. e h;- ct r, t fing r unseen zer m he nesrmarai in sections: axially of the drum, the sections in eachgirum.

drums.

fingers, certain of said fingers of each length on 3 each drum being staggered axially of the drum with respect to the fingers of the same length on the other drum.

6. In a poultry picker, a pair of rotatable juxtaposed drums, each having radially arranged resilient fingers, said drums being inclined from horizontal and with relation to each other, the fingers on each drum being grouped in sections axially of the drum, the sections in each drum being made up alternately of long and short fingers, certain of said fingers of each length on each drum being staggered axially of the drum with respect to the fingers of the same length on the other drum, each drum having short fingers 6 in the section at its end nearest the other drum and long fingers in the section at its opposite end.

EZRA B. MEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 843,222 Luther Feb. 2, 1907 1,569,167 Anderson, Sr. Jan. 12, 1926 1,854,626 Riggall, Jr. Apr. 19, 1932 1,889,228 Swanson Nov. 29, 1932 2,235,619 McMahan et al. Mar. 18, 1941 2,328,770 Barker Sept. 7, 1943 2,362,371 I-Iaist Nov. 7, 1944 2,422,608 Albright June 17, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 40,253 Denmark May 25, 1929 

